The Right Save File
by Airway Static
Summary: While laid up in bed recovering from an injury, Kagami discovers the wonders of RPG games and plays therapist to two stubborn NPCs.


_get well soon_

"Hello…?" Taiga saw Kise first as he poked his head into the room, speaking quietly as he peered in.

Taiga didn't bother to check his volume as he called out, "Over here." When Kise turned and saw him, his face lit up, moving toward the bed in the back of the room as Taiga beckoned him over.

Kise sat himself down without being asked, still glancing around the hospital room. "I never expected you'd have a private room, Kagamicchi," he remarked.

"My dad paid for it," Taiga couldn't help snapping, embarrassed, "I never asked for one."

"Don't sound so defensive," Kise said, smiling. "I'm sure he was just worried about you. Your parents can't be here for you in person, of course they're going to want to make sure you get taken care of."

"Whatever," Taiga mumbled, sinking lower in the sheets. "At least when the team comes over to visit they don't bother anyone too much. But honestly, who gets their own room for a sprained ankle, anyway?"

"The injury _is_ slightly serious," Kise reminded him, "That's why the doctors are having you stay in the hospital, right?"

"I wasn't even playing basketball!" Taiga groaned, "I just fell. This is the worst."

"On that note," Kise chirped, holding up a bag Taiga hadn't noticed him holding before, "I have a get well soon present for you!"

Taiga squinted, unsure of how to feel about anything Kise might consider a present. (He'd seen what Kuroko got for his birthday.) "Please tell me there are weights in there."

"Sorry, but no," Kise said, unrepentant. "Leave thinking about an exercise routine to your coach. You're supposed to be relaxing! So here, I got you a game."

Images of boards and cards and small, plastic pieces flashed through Taiga's mind. "Game?"

"A video game," Kise clarified, pulling out a small, rectangular case. On the cover Taiga could see a picture of someone dressed in armor, brandishing a sword at a dark silhouette, a few other people at his back doing the same. Too lazy to really try deciphering the blocky kanji of the title, he could only pick out the word 'HERO' before Kise returned the case to the bag. "It's a special pre-release edition," he added, slightly smug, "A lot of people would love to get their hands on a copy of this."

"Then how did _you_ get it?" Taiga questioned.

"Oh, they give all the people who worked on the game copies," Kise said, "That includes voice actors."

Taiga nodded, certain, at least, that Kise meant well in giving the game to him. Which was why he actually felt pretty bad when he said, "Thanks. But, uh, sorry man, I don't have anything to play that on."

Surprisingly, Kise didn't falter. "Oh, don't worry about that. I never expected you to. Here." Reaching into the bag again, this time he pulled out one of the handheld consoles Taiga had seen the kids in his apartment building play with before. "It's my old one," Kise said, handing it over.

Before Taiga could thank him, a faint beeping sounded, getting louder when Kise pulled out his phone. It was an alarm.

"Oh, sorry, Kagamicchi. Got to go!" he said, standing and shooting him a small, apologetic grin, "My manager's waiting for me. Have fun with the game!"

Taiga snorted as the door slid closed behind the man. He moved the bag to the bedside table but left the game inside. He appreciated the thought, but he wasn't the gaming type.

_who needs tutorials?_

Of course Taiga knew about games. In general. Sure, he'd never actually _played_ any but why would someone want to play a video game when there were perfectly good basketball ones to be had? And even if he wanted to, he didn't have enough money to spend on consoles, not without bothering his parents.

"Wait, how the hell am I supposed to change my name…?" he muttered, tapping the screen.

If he had to blame someone, Taiga chose Tatsuya. Even if it was Kise who had given him the present originally, Tatsuya was the one who'd encouraged him to play during a phone call earlier that evening. "'It'll take your mind off basketball,' he said. 'Something to do while you're resting. It'll be _relaxing_,' he said. 'Relaxing,' my ass!" Taiga growled, mashing the buttons of the console. He'd long since muted the volume, tired of hearing the stuttering start and stop of the NPC's voice as he sped through the dialogue.

"Damn it!" Kagami shook the small device, as if doing so would reverse the game. He'd missed the option to change his name from the generic one given in the game _again_. "Last time," he told himself, switching Kise's console off and on again. If he had to go through the whole opening sequence any more he was going to quit for the night.

He had to admit though, the game was okay. Frustrating as the controls were, he could concede that his lack of experience was probably the most at fault. The plot itself was simple enough; the hero, after arriving in a new country, sets out to defeat the demon king on the request of someone he helped by chance during the prologue. From what the instructions said, that person would eventually join his party and by following their suggestions, he could recruit others to their group as well as they traveled across the continent toward the demon's lair.

Even Taiga could tell it was quite the generic storyline. The only unusual additions were things called "elements". Besides the dark element that had spread throughout the country and was affecting people, it seemed like all the main characters possessed a particular type. Depending on what it was, it could combine with their weapon and perform a special move.

The way the NPC explained it was a lot more technical but Taiga didn't care. Since the fighting style was turn-based, as long as the moves showed up as options automatically, he figured he'd be fine. And if the system was difficult to use, he'd get by with regular attacks.

"Finally," he muttered, selecting the option that would allow him to change his name. Navigating through the alphabets, he punched in his last name. "Now, where do I put the first name? Here? Wait, no, I didn't mean to press that," he said, sitting straight up and tapping the screen frantically, "Don't tell me I was only supposed to use my first name."

It was useless. The NPC continued talking, now addressing him as "Kagami."

Taiga sighed, slumping back in his pillows. "I give up," he said, accepting the name as the NPC finished speaking. "Now how do I move around here?"

_party formed!_

Kagami wandered along the road leading out of town, desperately hoping he wasn't already lost. From what the villagers had told him, this was the way to go if he wanted to reach the capital, the best place to visit for anyone who'd just arrived in the country.

Judging from the scenery, at least he knew he was heading inland. Although the place he'd just left had been a port town, the sandy path was already transitioning into packed dirt and more greenery was starting to appear by the roadside.

As he approached a bend in the road, Kagami suddenly heard voices from ahead. Drawing closer, he was able to hear what they were saying, although a small stand of trees blocked his vision.

"Hey, you've gotta be kidding me, right?"

"You do know our leader is _that_ famous mercenary from this area, right?"

"There's no way you're gonna get out of this!"

Kagami briefly considered his options before moving forward to investigate. He could more or less guess the situation and felt he should at least try to help. As he crept closer, he caught a glimpse of those speaking.

Three men stood in front of a smaller, cloaked figure. Kagami could see clear blue eyes staring, unafraid, despite the bandits that towered over them.

The gaze shifted and Kagami blinked. For a moment, he felt like he'd been seen but that was impossible; he was completely concealed. Nevertheless, he decided to make his move in case one of the thugs noticed something.

He stepped forward, taking care to move lightly. Just like this, he would sneak up…

"Hey!"

Shit, one of the bandits had heard him. All three whirled around, drawing their weapons. The one in the middle was wielding a sword while the two flanking him held daggers.

"You chose the wrong day to pick a fight, buddy," one of them said, "We just picked up this new loot from a merchant planning to ship out to the outer islands."

"Looking at you, it seems you're a traveler," another remarked.

"We'll be taking your luggage off your hands." Just as the last finished speaking, all three charged, quickly closing in.

Kagami retreated as they moved forward, putting some distance between them as he drew his weapon. The three of them attacked in turns, going for his exposed sides while he parried the sword or keeping him from finishing one off once he'd knocked the dagger out of their hand. Unable to do anything but block one and twist away from the others, he couldn't avoid getting nicked with each attack. The three were wearing down his stamina pretty quickly and he was still completely on the defensive. If he even tried to counter, the one with a sword would quickly block while the other two looked for openings.

Eventually, Kagami took a significant hit; after falling for one of their feints, a blade sliced into his side, dropping him to his knees, his sword falling to the ground.

One of the men kicked it aside. "No hard feelings, yeah?" The bandit raised his weapon—

"Huh?!"

Kagami looked up – all three men had frozen, one with his sword still held aloft. Behind them, the hooded figure had a hand extended toward the trio, a faint light glowing around the tips of his fingers.

"Hurry up!" The shout startled Kagami into action. Grabbing his sword, he dispatched the three bandits as quickly as he could and walked away. He could hear the other following him as he headed back onto the road.

Sometime during the fight, the person's hood had fallen back, revealing hair that matched his eyes and the pale complexion of one unused to the outdoors.

"Thanks," Kagami said, "For whatever it was you did back there."

"It was a simple spell," the boy said, "And you were trying to help me. You're pretty impressive." Before Kagami could deny it, he continued, "I haven't seen someone so full of light in a while."

That drew him up short. "Light?"

"The holy element. You do know about elements right? The level of your light is especially high. Don't tell me you're an unexpectedly pure person?"

"Um, yeah, maybe," Kagami said, turning to leave. This person's expression was strange. He was feeling slightly uneasy about what he'd say next.

"Wait." The stranger's hand caught Kagami's sleeve. This time, Kagami was directly faced with his straightforward gaze. "My name is Kuroko. I'll help you out so please listen to my request."

_who the hell is aomine daiki?_

"Fifteen years ago, a demon appeared with a dark element so strong that it could affect the physical environment. People are influenced too. Thanks to that monster, many villages have already been destroyed and this country's army has suffered heavy losses. By now, we've completely given up on defeating it. Instead, we're focusing on keeping the peace in whatever places we have left. Get it?" Kuroko stopped his explanation and looked up at the one beside him.

Kagami nodded.

They were still on the road, although dusk had already fallen. Trees surrounded them on all sides, increasing the gloom around them. After Kuroko joined up with him, they'd entered a forest by mid-afternoon and had been on the same path since. As twilight fell, Kagami asked Kuroko for more details about his "request".

"With your abnormally strong light, I think you could beat the demon king," Kuroko said, "I have a talent for sensing elements so I believe I'm right. And to that end, I'll help you out as much as possible."

"You'd better," Kagami grumbled. Spotting a gap in the trees, he walked through to discover a clearing. "Let's rest here," he said as Kuroko followed him.

"Shall I gather some firewood?"

"Go ahead." After Kuroko left, Kagami began going through his supplies. He'd picked up some supplies at the port but it wouldn't be enough for two people. He could only hope that Kuroko had enough to take care of himself.

By the time he had his own cot laid out, Kuroko had returned. Kagami took the wood he'd gathered and started the fire as Kuroko took out his own food. After everything was set up for the night, Kagami prompted Kuroko to continue the conversation.

Sitting in front of the flames, he asked, "You can't seriously expect me to defeat a demon king alone, right?"

"I said I'd help you, didn't I?" Kuroko replied. At Kagami's alarmed expression, he continued, "Well, it is true just the two of us won't be able to do it. And we can't do it all at once either.

"Listen, the demon king has five generals that serve under him. To reach him, we need to get past them. Their bases are scattered around the continent but there's actually one quite close to here. After leaving this forest, the road splits in two," Kuroko said, pulling out a map. "One way leads to the capital." He pointed. Moving his finger to the other one, he said, "If we take this one, we'll head deeper into the forest. Somewhere in there should be the swamp where they're hiding."

"Demons and a swamp. Great. What else is there to worry about? Giant spiders?" Kagami sighed.

"No, but there may be giant wolves," Kuroko told him, "What's wrong? Your face has gone pale."

"Wolves? Wolves are basically… giant dogs, right?"

"No, wolves are much worse. And I think they'd be too large to compare to a regular dog. Kagami?"

Kagami shook his head. "Nope. We're not doing it. Why don't we take down some other one? Maybe one with spiders."

"But the one in the swamp is the weakest," Kuroko protested.

"Yeah, but it has giant _wolves_," Kagami said, "Wolves, Kuroko."

The man sighed. "Well then," he said, "I think I may know someone that can help."

"You do?"

"You said it, right? We can't do this on our own. Don't worry. With my sensing, I'll look for the strongest people possible. It'll be your job to convince them to join us."

"And? Is there someone you know who'll help us right now?"

"Maybe. Aomine Daiki."

"Who is that?"

"The greatest swordsman in the world," Kuroko said, with a small, bitter smile. Kagami took note of the strange expression but before he could ask about it, Kuroko continued, "He should be hanging around the capital for the tournaments right around now. If you can enter and beat him, I'm pretty sure he can be convinced to help us. Do you think you can do it?"

Kagami sat in silence, debating his choices. Finally, he straightened up. "Alright, I guess I'm entering a tournament."

Kuroko grimaced. "Good luck."

_prickly as a hedgehog_

"Uh… Kuroko?" At Kagami's gesture, the boy fell back slightly. The other man with them paid no mind and continued walking ahead.

"What is it, Kagami?" Kuroko looked at him inquisitively.

"When you told me about Aomine, did you maybe forget to mention something?"

"Like what?" Kuroko's stare remained blank. It appeared as if he had no idea what Kagami was talking about.

"Oh, I don't know." Kagami trailed off, eyes on the dark man in front of them. "Maybe the fact that you two hate each other?" he whispered angrily, reaching out to muss Kuroko's hair in irritation.

For a moment, he thought he felt a sharp gaze but when he turned to look, Aomine seemed to be ignoring the two of them so he allowed his attention to be drawn back to Kuroko when the other spoke. "I don't understand what you mean," he said, "Please elaborate."

"I don't understand how _you_ can't understand," Kagami complained, "Geez, when I thought you said that he might help us, it was because you two were friends or something. I never thought you two would fight start fighting as soon as you saw each other."

"That wasn't a fight," Kuroko objected, "I was merely stating my opinion. Aomine did the same."

Kagami raised an eyebrow. In a way, Kuroko was correct but there was more to it than that.

* * *

"_Don't get too cocky kid. You weren't even able to win against me and you still think you can take on a demon lord?" The swordsman laughed derisively._

_Kagami glared, about to object but to his surprise, Kuroko spoke first. "I disagree. With Kagami's light, I think he could do it." Kuroko didn't waver as Aomine turned his gaze to him and sneered._

"_Yeah, well, just being a little sparkly isn't going to solve everything."_

"_You're right," Kuroko admitted, "That's why we need you."_

"_Oh, are you sure I'm fit to travel with someone like this guy?" He jerked his head in Kagami's direction._

"_We need you," Kuroko repeated and maybe he saw something in Kuroko's gaze that he didn't because the next thing Kagami knew, Aomine was sighing and standing._

"_Fine, I'll come along on your little quest. It's not like I have anything better to spend my life on."_

"_How kind," Kuroko said and Kagami was surprised to hear the strain in his voice. "Isn't that great, Kagami?"_

_Kagami, caught off guard, nodded. Aomine's eyes narrowed and he headed for the door, saying, "Let's just get going."_

"_Let's," Kuroko agreed and waited for Kagami to exit before following._

* * *

"And anyway, Kagami, do you remember me ever saying that we didn't get along?" Kuroko asked.

"No," Kagami answered, wary of Kuroko's expression.

"Then we get along just fine, don't we?" At that moment, Kuroko's smile was quite frightening.

"Right." Secretly, Kagami felt as if he had just stepped into something no one really wanted to be involved in but with Kuroko staring at him, he could only keep that opinion to himself as he nodded.

_waspish as… well, you know_

"Huh?" Aomine glared. "I thought it was weird you didn't send me off to do anything and it turns out you just want to ask boring questions."

In actuality, Kagami hadn't asked him anything yet. He'd only gotten as far as, "So, about Kuroko," before Aomine snapped at him.

"If you want to interrogate me, at least start with something simpler," the man continued.

"Is talking about Kuroko complicated?" Kagami asked.

Aomine fell silent.

When he didn't say anything else, Kagami asked, "Do you two know each other from somewhere?"

"That's none of your business."

"Why don't you two get along?"

"That doesn't matter."

"If you don't like Kuroko, why did you agree to help us?"

"That doesn't affect anything."

"Are you really the greatest swordsman in the world?" Kagami asked on a whim, just curious to see if Aomine would answer any of his questions.

"Who told you that?" Aomine turned to face him, startling Kagami. "Did Tetsu say that?"

"Tetsu?" Kagami questioned.

"Ah, no…" Aomine stuttered but recovered quickly, masking his surprise with a glare. "He's no one."

Although it was dark around them, he could still tell Aomine was regretting his words. "Is that, is that what you call Kuroko?" Kagami was sure he'd guessed right once he caught a glimpse of Aomine's face.

"He's no one," Aomine insisted.

"Yeah, whatever you say." Kagami grinned. This guy was a lot easier to get information from. All he had to do was keep pressing—

The glint of a dagger in Aomine's palm caught his attention. Kagami froze. "I'm serious," Aomine said. "I may have agreed to help you but don't go thinking I'll go along with your crap because of it. Got it?"

Kagami nodded. For a while, the two sat in silence. Eventually, Kagami opened his mouth to ask, "So am I allowed to call Kuroko 'Tetsu' or—"

When Kuroko returned carrying firewood a short while later, neither felt inclined to tell him the origin of the new black eye Kagami was sporting or the rapid swelling of his upper lip.

_first battle, go get 'em_

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Fuck!"

"Taiga!" On the other side of the line, Himuro scolded him. "You shouldn't curse so much."

"I can't help it," Taiga bit out, "This guy just pulled out some weird-ass skill and now he's copying all of our moves. Shit!" He leaned left, phone nearly slipping from its position wedged between his chin and shoulder as he did, as if doing so in bed would help him dodge in-game.

"You'll bother your neighbors," Tatsuya said, voice calm despite Taiga's yelling.

"Seeing as I don't have any, I doubt it. The walls are soundproofed anyway," Taiga said, and then, "Hold on."

He allowed the phone to fall to his lap as he tapped rapidly at the screen, trying to power up his special move as much as possible. Kuroko had just come up with a good strategy but for it to work, he had to be able to deal continuous damage for a while.

As his character started attacking the boss, Taiga reached for the phone, this time putting it on speaker and placing it on the bedside table. From it, Tatsuya's voice emitted. "Taiga? Are you listening?"

"Yeah, you're on speaker now," Taiga said, watching as the demon's HP was whittled down with each consecutive attack, much too slowly for his liking. When it was over, Aomine took his turn to attack, slicing away a decent chunk at once. The demon retaliated next, turning the same attack back on him; Aomine's HP fell rapidly. Taiga frowned and then sighed in relief when it stopped just short of zero.

"Taiga? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Taiga said, "Kind of." Directing Kuroko to heal Aomine, Taiga clicked his tongue when he saw it was only enough to restore half his HP. For some reason, all of Kuroko's spells were only half as effective on the man. "Christ, I never knew these things could be so nerve-wracking," he said, "Are games supposed to make you this anxious?"

"I'm sure it's just exciting because this is your first battle, isn't it?"

"True enough." Taiga used his turn to restore the rest of Aomine's HP and then directed him to attack again; between turns, he reached for a handful of the chips that were open next to the phone. "Okay, what should I do? Heal him? If I get Kuroko to power us up instead and we go for an all-out attack, I'm pretty sure we can take this guy out. Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya's voice held all the uncertainty of someone completely unfamiliar with the situation. "Sorry, Taiga. I really can't say."

Taiga groaned. Onscreen, Kuroko awaited his orders. Finally, he decided. "Alright, fuck it. I'm just gonna go for it." Shaking his head, he chose the spell and leaned back, refusing to regret his decision. On the phone, Tatsuya remained silent, sensing that there was no way he'd get a response out of Taiga until the moment had passed. All he heard was, "Okay. Okay, okay now go! Go, gogogo… Shit! Yes!"

"Did it work?"

"Hell yeah it did," Taiga said, "Oh, now it's showing a little movie thing. We're all cheering – wait. Wait, did those two just—?"

"What is it?"

"These two characters, did they just _smile_ at each other? But they hate each other? Dude. If I didn't know better, that was totally the beginning of a hug," he said, bringing the screen closer to his face, trying to decipher the expressions on their faces.

"Why would they hug if they don't get along?" Tatsuya asked.

"I don't know, but that arm was going up for a fist bump or something."

"Are you sure they don't get along?"

Taiga lowered the screen and considered the question. "I thought I was," he said, "But now I don't know."

_just look up the damn walkthrough_

"I don't get it!" Taiga threw his head back and slid down between the sheets. He flipped the lid of the game closed and tossed it toward the foot of the bed. Just staring at the ceiling he couldn't forget about the game; instead, he reached for the phone.

Just as he'd expected, the phone was picked up within three rings. "Hello?"

"Tatsuya?"

"Taiga. Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"  
"Do you need anything?"

"No? Why do you sound so worried?" Taiga asked, confused.

Now sounding equally puzzled, Tatsuya said, "Well of course I'd be worried. You're calling so late at night, I thought it was an emergency or something."

Taiga scoffed. "It can't be that late," he said, glancing at the clock. He blinked. "Oh. Sorry." The clock read three a.m.

Over the phone, Tatsuya sighed. "It's fine, I guess. At least there's nothing wrong. Well, if that's all…"

"Wait," Taiga said, "Actually, could you stay on the phone a little longer?'

"What?"

"I need a distraction," Taiga pleaded.

"Have you considered going to sleep?"

"I've been sleeping all day."

"Probably because you've been gaming all night," Tatsuya pointed out.

Mentally, Taiga conceded that point to him but forged on. "You don't have school tomorrow."

Another sigh. "Fine. What's going on with the game this time?"

"How did you know?"

"Have you been doing anything else?"

"That's true," Taiga said, "Here's how it is. I just, I don't understand those two at all?"

"Kuroko and Aomine?" Tatsuya guessed.

Kagami nodded, and then realized there was no point. "Yeah," he said, "I don't get them. Ever. I will not ever get them at the rate I'm going." As Tatsuya remained silent, he continued, "I've been trying to talk to them ever since the last boss battle and nothing works. I've spoken to them alone and together but no matter what, Kuroko just dodges the question, sometimes with this weird, sad little look on his face. And Aomine? He just threatens to slit my throat or leave the group, depending on whether Kuroko's there or not." He groaned.

After a moment of silence, Tatsuya spoke. "So you're asking me what you should do?"

Taiga considered the question. "If I was," he asked, "Would you have an answer?"

"Well," Tatsuya said, "You could always look it up online. I hear there are people who'll make guides on how you should play a game in case there are people who get stuck or want to unlock certain things."

"Really?" Taiga was impressed. He didn't think anyone would have the patience to be so meticulous, especially when it came to video games. Then again, he supposed for some people, it'd be on the same level as collecting player stats or compiling a team's season record. "Still, can I even trust those things?"

"I'm sure if they weren't accurate, someone would call them out on it," Tatsuya assured him, "Why don't you just try taking a look?"

"But wouldn't that be like cheating?"

"Is it possible to cheat at something like a game?"

"But if I don't find the answer on my own, it won't be as satisfying."

"Yeah, but you've already tried finding the answer by yourself and where has that gone?"

Taiga fell quiet. "Alright," he said decisively, "I'll look it up."

"Okay then," Tatsuya said, sounding relieved.

"Tatsuya?"

"Yes?"

"Could you look it up for me?"

"Will you let me go back to sleep if I do?"

"Yes."

"Give me a moment."

_and the sordid past comes out_

The fortune teller was a wizened old lady who sat hunched over a blanket next to the stall selling potions. The only things laid out on the blanket were a crystal ball and a deck of cards lying face down.

As Taiga turned away from the merchant, she'd caught his eye and called out, "Have something you want to know, sweetie? One silver coin and I'll show you the answer to what's been bothering you lately."

Kagami paused. He was more inclined to believe everything was just a street trick but Kuroko had mentioned something about her elements earlier; and, if she could answer any question of his, there was one thing he'd been curious about for a while.

Making his decision, he tucked the supplies into his pack and drew out a gold coin. Tossing it into the cup weighing down one corner of the blanket, he squatted in front of the woman.

"What would you like to know?" she asked.

Kagami tried to discreetly gesture behind him where Kuroko and Aomine stood, looking at the weapons displayed by one of the city's more well-known blacksmiths. "About my two companions over there. Can you tell me what happened in their past?"

"So it's other people you want to know about," the woman mused, "Well, I can do that. Here, place your hand on my crystal ball. Close your eyes and concentrate on what you want to know."

* * *

"_Tetsu?" Aomine called, walking along the path through the woods near their village, certain the boy had to be somewhere nearby._

_Eventually, he reached their clearing; unsurprisingly, Kuroko was already there. He was crouched over a flower, trying to manipulate its elements and coax it into blooming, a common exercise for anyone who wanted to practice magic. Smiling, Daiki walked the circumference of the empty space to the opposite side and began sparring with an innocent tree using the practice sword he'd saved up his allowance to buy._

_A frustrated sigh broke his concentration. "What's wrong?" Aomine turned to look at Kuroko._

_He was staring intently at the same flower as before. Like before, the bud remained tightly furled. "It's frustrating," Kuroko said, "But I probably shouldn't get my hopes up too much about studying magic."_

"_What are you talking about?!" Aomine crossed the space between them in a few strides and tugged Kuroko up. "Weren't we going to go to the capital together?"_

"_But if I can't even do such a simple exercise," Kuroko said, eyes still on the flower, "I doubt anyone would want to teach me. And if I can't learn spells, how are we going to fight demons together?"_

"_Doing the exercise doesn't matter," Aomine asserted, "You're trying to use the earth element, right?"_

"_Or water," Kuroko interjected._

"_Then, that just means maybe you're not good with earth. Or water. Why not just focus on light?" he asked, recalling the one element, Kuroko hadn't tried studying yet._

"_But light is for healing…" Kuroko frowned._

"_So? I think it's not like you have to learn attack spells. One day, I'm going to be the best swordsman in the country! But that doesn't mean I won't get hurt. Wouldn't it be great if I had someone next to me who could heal my injuries?" Aomine flashed him the brightest smile he could muster. "I think Tetsu is perfect for that."_

_After turning the thought over for a while, Kuroko smiled. "Alright."_

* * *

"_Tetsu!" Kuroko could hear the boy before he saw him. "Tetsu, where are you?" Rounding the corner, the boy stopped short, nearly falling over. "You'll never guess what happened," he said._

"_What is it?"_

"_Look at this," Aomine said, thrusting a letter to him. Kuroko's eyes briefly scanned the contents before skipping straight to the seal at the bottom of the page._

"_This is…!" He looked up at Aomine. "This is from that famous swordmaster..."_

_Aomine nodded. "Yup! The one who's won all the tournaments in the capital until he retired. It says that he'll accept me as a student!"_

"_That's great," Kuroko said, smiling warmly, "I'm happy for you."_

"_Well," Aomine said, "You're getting ready to go study magic too so I figured I'd better get moving."_

"_How long will you be gone?"_

"_Two years, the same as you. And then we'll definitely go adventuring together. Right?" Aomine held out a fist._

_Grinning, Kuroko met it with his own. "Right."_

* * *

_Although Aomine had returned to town a month ago, it was Kuroko's first time seeing him since they'd gone off to study independently. He was different. Kuroko couldn't tell how, exactly, but something was slightly off; more than his physical appearance, something about his aura had changed. "Why have you been avoiding me?"_

"_The first time we've spoken in over two years and that's the question you greet me with?" Aomine shook his head._

"_I sent you letters," Kuroko told him, "Did you get them?" At first, they'd written to each other continuously, before things were suddenly cut off after a few months. After that, no matter how many messages he'd sent, Aomine never replied._

"_Those things? I didn't have time to answer any so I threw them away." Aomine shrugged. "They probably weren't anything too important anyway, right? Since you finally took the hint and stopped."_

_Kuroko's eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?" he asked._

_Aomine scowled. "You wanna know what happened? Try to cast a spell on me. Go on, do it," he said when Kuroko hesitated._

_Reluctantly, Kuroko cast a minor holy spell, one that didn't require any words. As he directed it toward Aomine, a sudden burst of elemental static nearly pushed him back a few steps. The problem slotted into place in his mind with all the finality of a guillotine. As soon as the light element had tried to get near Aomine, a surge of the dark element welled up, quickly quenching the light._

"_I've been affected by the demon king's miasma," Aomine said for him, putting into words the ominous feeling cementing in the bottom of his stomach, "Your spells won't work on me anymore."_

"_But our promise—"_

"_We were just kids," Aomine snapped, "What weight does a promise like that hold? This is reality."_

"_I can look for a way to help you," Kuroko offered, refusing to give up._

"_You think I haven't tried?" Aomine glared. "Just what do you think I've been doing with my time? It's useless, okay, Tetsu? And I don't need your pity. Now that you're _so _proficient in holy magic, you don't have to pretend you're not disgusted by someone tainted like me."_

"_What are you talking about?" Kuroko looked lost, like his whole worldview was crumbling at the corners._

"_I'm saying, go find someone else to play adventurer with." Aomine turned to leave. Shooting one last look over his shoulder, he walked away when Kuroko didn't say anything else._

_The next day he was gone; the day after that, Kuroko had left as well._

The old fortune teller clicked her tongue and shook her head. "It appears those two have gone through rather difficult time, yes?"

Kagami didn't answer.

"Ah, well," she sighed, "That was the past. Something tells me they're due to make up soon."

_3 a.m. phone calls are what friends are for_

After the line connected, there was a slight pause before Tatsuya's voice came. "Hello?"

"Tatsuya, I am freaking out."

Instantly sounding more alert, Tatsuya asked, "Taiga? What's wrong?"

"I am so mad," Taiga said, "If I wasn't stuck in bed, I'd be about ready to punch a wall."

"Wait," Tatsuya said, calming down and, with considerably more irritation, "Is this about your game?"

Taiga hesitated. "Yes?" He looked at the clock next to him and winced. "I am so sorry."

"Whatever," Tatsuya said. "Just, what's going on now?"

Quickly regaining his momentum from earlier, Taiga started speaking. "It's those two again! I did what you said to and brought them to the fortune teller. She didn't say anything to them but I saw a bunch of flashbacks and oh my _god_ I am so mad. Like, holy shit, they are so stupid. I can't believe it. I just want to punch the idiots and their stupid, stupid faces," he raged.

"Did something happen?" Tatsuya asked, startled at the intensity in Taiga's voice.

"_Nothing_ happened. Those two have been friends since childhood and because of one misunderstanding, they just separated? Bullshit," Taiga said, "It's so dumb. I hate this. I hate them both. I don't even want to play with them anymore."

Not even sure why he was trying, Tatsuya said, "I'm sure there were other circumstances…"

"Nope," Taiga said, refusing to accept any excuse on their behalf, "Those dumbasses have had three years to sort their shit out. And they haven't done anything. I swear to god, if they were real, I'm pretty sure I'd punch them both in the face at least once a week. Maybe once a day for Aomine."

"Well, not everyone gets a chance to work their grievances out like we did," Tatsuya pointed out quietly.

Taiga stopped short, mouth still open with another complaint on the tip of his tongue. "I guess that's true," he said.

"That's why," Tatsuya continued, "Don't you think you should help them find a chance?"

"Huh?"

"If I'm not mistaken, things are strained between them now, right? And since the game's gone through the trouble of showing you what's wrong between them, don't you think that means you're supposed to help patch things up?"

"You might be right," Taiga said, convinced. He frowned. "But why do I have to play therapist for a couple of virtual characters," he complained.

"As the leader, it's your job to monitor team dynamics, right? Make sure everyone gets along well," Tatsuya said, stifling either a laugh or a yawn, Taiga couldn't tell.

Although he suspected it was the latter, he still said, "Shut up. So, what? I'm supposed to get them to hug it out somehow? Is that even possible? Ah, if it's really a part of the game, there should be something online, right? Tatsuya?"

The other side of the line was silent, although Taiga thought he might've been able to make out soft breathing.

"Tatsuya? Are you asleep? Hey," he said. After a few seconds without an answer he whispered, "Good night," and hung up.

_no no nonononono_

"Tetsu? Tetsu!" Dropping his weapon, Aomine rushed to the fallen boy.

From his place on the floor, Kagami see the two. Aomine fell to his knees, gathering Kuroko into his arms. As he cradled his head, Kagami could see Aomine seeking that straightforward gaze that had never wavered, no matter what they faced.

"Tetsu?" he mouthed, as if no longer aware that his voice was inaudible.

A stinging pain in his abdomen drew Kagami's attention away from the scene. Looking down at the hand clenched around his stomach. Blood was seeping through his fingers where the demon's barbed tail had caught him just moments before, smacking him to the side after he'd jumped in front of Kuroko.

"Tetsu, can you hear me?" It was the most panicked Kagami had ever seen Aomine, even when his precious sword had been stolen by those bandits a while back. Unable to muster the energy to turn around again, Kagami could only imagine the look on his face.

"Aomine?"

"Tetsu!" Fatigue aside, Kagami whipped around, in time to see Aomine's face light up. To his surprise though, Aomine's voice came quietly, smoothly, "Hey, listen here. You're gonna be alright. Can you heal yourself?"

"No energy…"

"That's okay. Just take a break. Kagami and I will take care of this bastard in no time, okay?"

"Kagami—"

"That idiot? Yeah, he got himself hurt but he's a big boy. He can get by without your help for a while."

"The demon's poison though," Kuroko said, struggling to make himself heard, "He needs…" He broke off, breaths coming in shallow gasps.

"Tetsu? Tetsu, breathe. Come on, you're okay, just calm down. Tetsu?" Aomine was struggling, Kagami could tell. "Come on, Tetsu. Don't. Don't do this. Tetsu?" Aomine brushed the boy's hair back from his forehead, peering into his eyes.

Kagami could see it, the moment it happened. Any trace of light faded out of Aomine's eyes, just like it must have done in the body he was holding. "Aomine," he called, wanting to say something, anything.

A deep, booming laugh interrupted him, reverberating around the cavern, making the walls and ground tremble. "It serves the weakling right. But don't worry. You'll be following him shortly," the demon said.

Aomine's eyes didn't move from Kuroko's face. Laying his body on the ground, he stood and turned to face the demon. "Just try," he snarled, and charged.

The closest comparison Kagami could draw for the demon was a giant scorpion. More than giant, colossal. Uncorking it with his teeth, it was only on the third antidote that he felt the poison completely leave his system. Despite that, despite the razor sharp pincers they'd been so wary of before, Aomine paid no heed to anything, charging in again and again.

Kagami had to wonder if he really was trying to follow in Kuroko's footsteps.

And yet, when he'd hacked the last limb from the body, long after the dark element within the demon had started to corrode its body, Aomine was still standing, sword now hanging uselessly.

Without a word, he dropped it and returned to where Kuroko lay, sat down and buried his face in his hands.

_we don't do 'dying' around here_

"I am _through_ with this stupid game," Taiga said, snapping the lid closed and pushing it away. One moment later and he was reaching for the device again, flipping it open and reloading the file. "I hate it so much," he continued, "I never want to do this again."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tatsuya staring at him from his seat at the desk.. It had been just over a week since Taiga had been discharged and although he'd obediently been recuperating in his room since, Tatsuya looked worried.."You know, Taiga, you can always just… stop playing?" he suggested.

Taiga looked up incredulously. For all his complaining, he'd never actually considered quitting. "I can't do that," he said. "I have to beat this thing. That asshole Akashi needs to go down."

"Akashi?"

"One of the bosses," Taiga explained, returning to the game. "See? This guy here." He pointed to the redhead visible on the screen. "But I don't know how to do it without Kuroko dying," he said, gritting his teeth, "I've tried so many times I have his stupid little speech memorized."

"Wait, you mean you know how to beat him?" Tatsuya asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Taiga nodded. "But Kuroko dies every time."

"Isn't that fine?" Tatsuya questioned, obviously not seeing the problem. "You can complete the game without Kuroko. Remember?"

Taiga closed the game again, throwing his head back in frustration. "But he can't die! He just, he can't, okay? I refuse to play the rest of the game without Kuroko." Of course he remembered that past the fight, the game's completion didn't require Kuroko. Tatsuya had really taken to researching the game for him and he'd mentioned it early on; but Taiga had refused to hear a word from him about Kuroko after he'd actually died.

Hesitantly, Tatsuya asked, "Do you like his character that much?"

Taiga shrugged. He did like Kuroko, but it was more a matter of what happened after he died that was bothering him so much. "Well, if I had to choose whether I like him or hate him, of course I like him," he said, "But if he dies, it's like losing two party members! Because Aomine gets all sad and just mopes around and won't go train and I don't know how to comfort him, Tatsuya. He is inconsolable. I can't use him! I can't play with him. I'd be better off leaving him behind and keeping their _dog_." As he spoke, Taiga's volume gradually increased and it was only after he caught sight of the look on Tatsuya's face that he realized he'd lost his audience.

He felt a comforting hand placed on his shoulder. "Do you want me to look it up for you?" Tatsuya asked sympathetically.

Taiga buried his face in the pillow, voice coming out muffled. "I hate cheats."

"Alright then," Tatsuya said. "Just… don't stress yourself out too much." As he turned to leave, Taiga reached for the stupid game once again.

_refrigerator moment_

The idea came after he'd decided that he could probably reach the kitchen without his crutches; one of the stupider decisions Taiga had made, but it was four in the morning and he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before so he wasn't turning back.

Switching from the wall to the counters to support his weight, Taiga hobbled toward the fridge.

He'd spent a few more fruitless hours trying to save Kuroko. "But nothing works," he mumbled, frowning. "No armor's defense is high enough to protect him, he's not fast enough to dodge. If I take the hit for him, I die; if I block it, I get injured _and_ he dies." Taiga had tried everything he could think of with no results.

Reaching the refrigerator, he opened it and the lightbulb went off. He hadn't actually tried _everything_. He hadn't tried doing nothing.

Of course, that was because normally, doing nothing could only be expected to result in death. But there was one person he had forgotten to account for and maybe, given the chance, his attempt to save Kuroko would turn out better than Taiga's.

Grabbing a cold slice of pizza, Taiga pivoted on the heel of his good foot, nudging the door shut with his other. He staggered as quickly as he could, intent on getting back to his room as quickly as possible.

_re-do, retry_

Kagami sensed it a split second before it happened. Whipping around, just as he'd expected, the point of the demon's tail was heading straight for Kuroko.

_Jump!_

The thought came too slowly; even as his legs tensed, he could already see it was too late, there was no way he'd make it in time, no matter how fast he moved. Kuroko's eyes had a split second to register the oncoming attack and then Aomine was there, in front of him and then he was slumping backwards, into Kuroko's arms.

The smaller man stumbled under the weight but remained standing, eyes on the demon's tail as it withdrew. Kagami's thoughts started moving again, his legs regaining their mobility. Forcing himself to focus on the problem in front of them (and not the gaping hole in Aomine's chest, or the black color that was stained around the edges or—), Kagami took the opportunity to hack at the retreating appendage and draw its attention from the other two.

Behind him, he could hear Kuroko murmuring, soft, comforting sounds mixed in with Aomine's name. "Daiki, hey. Daiki. Focus on me. Come on, just open your eyes. Yes, that's one. Now please do the same for the – no, stay with me." He cursed as Aomine's eyes drifted shut again.

The demon hadn't tried anything else; it seemed intent on watching the outcome of its last attack. "Kuroko," Kagami called, drawing the boy slightly out of his panic. "Can you heal him?"

"I don't," Kuroko started to say before his voice caught in his throat. Kagami waited patiently, one eye still on the enemy. "I don't," he tried again before giving up, shaking his head, "My spells don't work as well."

One look at Aomine and Kagami knew he didn't have the luxury of time. "Hey," he shouted, "Kuroko. Just try to heal him up as best you can." He opened his mouth to interrupt but Kagami spoke over him. "Just _try_. I believe in you."

For a minute, Kagami was scared Kuroko wouldn't be able to do it but the uncertainty passed when he saw the determination in the other's eyes. Quickly regaining his composure, Kuroko started chanting a minor healing spell and then a longer one. Interspersed with antidotes and small prayers, he cast his spells continuously.

Gradually, the black around the poison began to recede and the wound began to close. Kuroko's lips didn't stop moving and, as he cupped Aomine's, the telltale glow of his magic only grew brighter.

An angry roar snapped Kagami back to attention. The demon thrashed about, enraged to see its assault hadn't worked. It raised its tail again, preparing to attack. This time, Kagami reacted instantly, darting forward to slice at the plated body before retreating a few steps, drawing it away from where Aomine and Kuroko were. He refused to give it another chance to hurt anyone else.

Leaving the care of Aomine to Kuroko, Kagami gripped his sword and rushed at the monster, intent on avenging his teammate.

_so here we are (nice job genius)_

"What the hell are you two hovering over me for? Disgusting."

Kagami and Kuroko both heaved sighs of relief, sitting back on their heels as Aomine struggled to rise.

"What?" Aomine asked, "What happened?"

"You got stabbed by a demon," Kagami told him.

Aomine nodded. "Oh yeah, that bastard. Did we get him?"

Kagami nodded. "I took him out."

"Yeah, right," Aomine said, somewhat doubtfully. And then, "Wait." He glanced down at his chest. His shirt had been unsalvageable so Kuroko had removed it after the battle; all that was visible was smooth, unscarred skin.

Understanding his confused expression, Kagami explained, "Kuroko healed you up."

Aomine's head snapped up, turning to look at the other, who hadn't said a word since Aomine had opened his eyes. When their eyes met, Kuroko shot him a wan smile. "You, wha—?" Abruptly, Aomine brought his fist up and delivered a solid right hook to his jaw.

"Hey," Kagami shouted as Kuroko tumbled backwards.

"You idiot," Aomine snapped, "Who told you to waste so much energy healing me? You're supposed to be keeping _this_ idiot alive! You're not supposed to worry about _me_," he broke off, panting.

Before he could resume his tirade, Kuroko's foot lashed out, kicking Aomine right in the shin. As the man doubled over in pain, Kuroko spoke, "And as I recall, no one asked you to _jump in front of me_. You came along for your own reasons but I don't believe protecting me was one of them."

"Well, you're obviously wrong," Aomine retorted.

Kuroko glared. "Why do you always feel the need to protect me?" he demanded.

"Why can't you let me protect you?"

"Why can't you accept the idea that maybe I could help you instead?"

"Help me?" Aomine scoffed, "And what could you possibly do?"

"I've been studying," Kuroko insisted, "I have been studying for the past three years trying to figure exactly that out."

"And what have you got to show for it? A lot of wasted time."

"Well maybe if you actually _talked to me_—"

"What do you want me to say?! I'm a freak, okay? There's something wrong with me and there's nothing you can do to fix it."

"There you go, skirting around the issue. Again."

"I just said—"

"Yes," Kuroko interrupted, "You're always saying things. But you never say anything important. Why can't you just trust me?"

"Because you keep leaving!" Aomine snapped, "Back then and now, too, with your new hero. You're doing fine on your own and here I am, thinking I'm the only one who needs you and i really sucks, okay? But I don't know how to fix it."

"Things can't go back to the way they were," Kuroko pointed out softly.

"Yeah," Aomine agreed, and his volume had lowered dramatically as well.

_let's try this again_

"And now that you've got that out of your system," Kagami interjected, causing the two to jump away from each other, "Do you think we could get out of this creepy cave?"

"Okay," Aomine muttered, standing and dusting himself off.

Kuroko stood as well, clearing his throat. "Sorry," he said, "Let's go." He turned toward the entrance.

"And anyway," Kagami said, causing the both of them to halt in their tracks, "What's all this crap about going back to how things were? If I remember right, things sucked. Seriously, those were not your best years." The tips of Kuroko's ears were red; Aomine refused to meet his gaze. Kagami rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, it's not like you didn't know that already. Get over yourselves."

"Then how do _you_ suggest we go about this?" Aomine finally snapped.

Kagami shrugged. "I can't solve all your problems. More like, what's wrong with things the way they are now? It's not the past but you're the not the past you either. You're both different people now but that's the way it is. There's a three year gap that you two created and it's up to you to deal with that and get to know each other again."

The two glanced at each other.

"To be honest, there is one skill I've neglected to share with you. Kagami too," Kuroko said.

Surprised, Kagami asked, "And what is that?"

"When it comes to pure magic, light is usually used for healing and support," Kuroko said, "Only when it's combined with a weapon like Kagami's can it cause damage.

"Yeah, but we already knew that," Aomine pointed out.

"It's not perfect," Kuroko warned, "But I think I could develop some attacks with my light magic."

"Seriously?" Kagami exclaimed. If that was true, it'd be incredible. Since light was a holy element, it caused a lot of damage to demons but since he was primarily a fighter, he didn't have a lot of stamina when it came to using it. With Kuroko's endurance though, they'd definitely have an advantage. "Dude, it doesn't matter how 'perfect' it is or isn't, if you can, do it!"

Kuroko nodded. "Also, in my research I think I came across something that may help you," he told Aomine, "It involves the demon king though. More specifically, its death."

"Oh?" Aomine raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it's gonna be a simple thing."

"We've made it this far, haven't we?"

Aomine laughed. "I guess so."

"Alright," Kagami said, clapping his hands together to get their attention. "Yes, isn't that nice, we're all getting along now. I understand. I also understand you two obviously can't handle your own feelings very well. So, let's all call each other stupid best friend nicknames and move on."

"Kagami, you be quiet," Kuroko said, jabbing him in the side.

Walking on the other side of him, Aomine spoke, "Yeah, listen to Tetsu."

"You two are impossible. Now can we _please_ get going?" Kagami sped up his steps; he really did want to get out of the cave. Behind him, he could hear the low murmur of voices – Aomine's and Kuroko's. He didn't bother turning around though; he knew they'd be following.

They still had a quest to finish.


End file.
